Here is an alternative assembly: 81 in number, growing in size, ideas; looking at inclusive role

HOUSE IN SESSION

ZAFAR CHOUDHARY

JAMMU: A few days after unprecedented commotion forced the widely criticised sine die adjournment of both Houses of the State Legislature almost a week ahead of the schedule, an 'alternative assembly' sat down quietly to have more serious reflection on urgent issues confronting the state. This is a group of people who have made laws; they have been signatories to various decisions that, for good or bad, are integral to today's system of governance in Jammu and Kashmir. They are with their people but not part of the system and that is where the problem is.
Present in this meeting, among others were, Khizer Mohammad, a Legislator of the times of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, Akhtar Nizami and Bharat Gandhi. Since the general demography of the group splits them into a set that belongs to the decades of 1960s and 70s and another -making the larger number of members -that comes from the batch of 1996 elections. Therefore, when they look back at the disturbing events such as the turmoil of last year or the Amarnath land row they find their role in peace building more profound than of anyone else. But has any government been willing to involve them? That is the question they ask.
While Legislators fight in Assembly on party lines and unite on issues that concern their own conditions, a group of former Legislators is growing in size and strength with pattern of membership cutting across the parties and nature of issues transcending the ideological barriers. Informally they are more than 200 but as many as 81 of them have taken paid subscription of a paltry sum of Rs 1100, they are committed to the broader agenda of contributing to social and developmental progress of Jammu and Kashmir.
Named as 'J&K Ex Legislators Welfare Council', the group is registered with the Registrar of Societies since 2005. They have an office at the MLAs hostel in Jammu where records of the minutes of meetings are maintained; there was similar office in Srinagar which got washed away in 2014 floods.
The background which led to the formation of 'J&K Ex Legislators Welfare Council' is very interesting: Sometime in early 2005 a legendary politician of yesteryears Ghulam Hassan Arman was struck up with the security personnel at the entry gate of civil secretariat in Jammu. He was not allowed to go in. Arman reiterated many times that he was a former Legislator but the security personnel didn't hear any. In the meantime, another former Legislator Qazi Jalaluddin arrived. Since Qazi's term was more recent -1996-2002 -a few people on secretariat gate's security detail knew him. Qazi had not only the argument end but also facilitated Arman's entry. On another occasion the same year, an elderly man was found locked in a similar situation. "He kept on repeating main sabqa rukn qanoonsazia hoon aur mera beta bhi rukn qanoonsazia raha hai (I am a former Legislator and my son has been a Legislator too)", says an eyewitness account. This man was former Reasi MLA Babi Jagjeevan Lal's father. "These two incidents were a trigger to think of a forum for legislators", says Qazi Jalaluddin, who represented the Inderwal constituency. Qazi then moved on to mobilise some other colleagues from the past. The idea grew in strength and size. Twelve years on, all of them remain integral to their political parties but they transcend the ideological and regional barriers to engage in discussions and interventions on contemporary challenges in Jammu and Kashmir. That such an institution exists, in a formal shape, is an amazing process in place which offers potential but is not being put to use.
In a recent meeting with the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti a 50-member delegation of these lawmakers put-forth many issues for redress. They sought rationalization of rents on account of official accommodation used by them, extending medical cover to them and enhancement of medical allowance. They also demanded accommodation facilities and commensurate hike in their pension along with the hike in salaries of sitting legislators. The Chief Minister assured them to get their issues examined on priority and take a considerate view. These issues are too small in view of what sitting Legislators get away with -for example, hike in salary from around 20,000 to 1.5 lakhs in some ten years -the fastest growth in pay wallet. What was more interesting in this meeting was the intervening remarks some of them made: "we have are the real contributors to revival of peace process". Rightly so. In 1996 some of them really took the risk to challenge a discourse which existed at that time. "You struggle to fill up the chairs on Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations by making it compulsory for employees to attend but the ex-lawmakers keep on looking for invitation". What a valid point one of them made. These are more than 200 people who could be a real force for a political process between the major shades of opinion; to act as a buffer between the two, or more ideological zones. Why to let them pass into oblivion.